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HELVETIUS: THE CONTRADICTION 177family fortunes ere !ut me"io#re$ Little Clau"e%

A"rien& 'o as !orn in 171(& as at firste"u#ate"at 'ome !y a mot'er ) full of seetness an"*oo"ness$) Her ten"erness& +er'a+s& as an ill+re+aration for t'e 'ars'er& i"er orl" of t'efamous s#'ool of Saint Louis%le%,ran"& 'it'erClau"e%A"rien as +resently sent$ It as Voltaire)s

ol" s#'ool& an" it as Voltaire)s ol" s#'oolmaster&-ere -oree& 'o 'el+e" t'e s'y& sensiti.e&ne !oy it' /in"liness an" en#oura*ement& an"first rouse" in 'im a lo.e of letters$ ,rimm& 'onearly alays 'as 'is +en +ointe" it' mali#e'en 'e rites of Hel.etins& re#or"s t'at +oor

Clau"e%A"rien alays seeme" stu+i" at s#'oolt'rou*' !ein* t'e .i#tim of a #'roni# #ol" in t'e'ea" : an unromanti# afili#tion& 'i#' oul" ma/e*enius itself uninterestin*$ 0oun* Hel.etius asno *enius& 'oe.er$After lea.in* s#'ool 'e as sent to an un#le&'o as a su+erinten"ent of taes at Caen& tolearn finan#e$ T'ere 'e rote t'e usual !oyis'tra*e"y of +romise2ne.er to !e +erforme"2an" t'e usual yout'ful .erses& an" as ma"e amem!er of t'e Caen Literary A#a"emy$ T'esensiti.e s'yness soon "isa++eare"$ 0oun*&

'ealt'y& an" 'an"some& lo.in* literature mu#'an" omen more& an e#ellent "an#er an" fen#er&

7/27/2019 HELVETIUS voltaire e a frase eu desaprovo o que dizes, mas defendo at a morte seu direito de diz-lo

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#le.er& #ool& a*reea!le& an" mu#' min"e" to *et

173 THE 45IENDS O4 VOLTAIE6on in t'e orl"& youn* Hel.etius #omes u+ to-aris$At t'ree%an"%tenty& in 173& !ein* t'e son of 'isfat'er& an" 'a.in* t'e ne#essary finan#iale8ui+ment&'e as ma"e 4armer%,eneral& a +ost #ertain

to !rin* in to or t'ree t'ousan" a year& an"+ossi!ly& it' t'e re8uisite etortion an"uns#ru+ulousness&a *oo" "eal more$-aris& in t'e years !eteen 173 an" 17(1&as #ertainly t'e most "eli*'tful an" t'e most

se"u#ti.e #ity in t'e orl"$ In t'e early +art oft'at +erio"& 9a"ame "e Ten#in& t'e mot'er of")Alem!ert an" t'e sister of t'e Car"inal& asformin* t'e yout' of t'e #a+ital in 'er famoussalon$ In t'e later +erio"& 9a"ame "e -om+a"ouras re.ealin* to it !y 'er eam+le t'e 'olese#retof orl"ly su##ess2a #lear 'ea" an" a #ol" 'eart$T'e Court as eternally lau*'in*& +lay%a#tin*&intri*uin*$4or t'e fe& t'e orl" ent it' t'e li.eliestlilt an" for t'e many2t'e many ere "um!$Hel.etius as one of t'e fe$ No at 9a"ame

"e Ten#in)s& ) *at'erin* in or"er t'at 'e mi*'tone "ay so

7/27/2019 HELVETIUS voltaire e a frase eu desaprovo o que dizes, mas defendo at a morte seu direito de diz-lo

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) no in t'e foyer of t'e Come"ie&'ere 9a"emoiselle ,aussin& t'e #'armin* #omi#

a#tress& nouris'e" a 'o+eless +assion for 'im no att'e o+era& seein* for t'e first time 6uf4on& Di"erot&")Alem!ert& an" ;oinin* 'otly in t'e 8uestion of4ren#' or Italian musi#& 'i#' a*itate" t'e #a+itala t'ousan" times more t'an national *lory or

HELVfiTIUS: THE CONTRADICTION 17